The Dream of a Daughter
by Rivi Laurant
Summary: Considering the theory that El is Lafrenze's daughter from Orpheus is true... is this what happened then?


Deep inside the forest that was abandoned and far away from humans' dwelling, lived two females in a small, rickety shack. One female is the mother, and the other is the daughter. Both shared the same description, because both carries the same blood. Silver hair, scarlet eyes, skin as pale as snow. Both shared the same intimidating beauty that is enough to make everyone who look at them got chills.

The mother's name is Lafrenze.

The daughter's name is El.

The only differences between the two of them are age and the looks in their eyes. The daughter's eyes are red just like the flames. And yes, those flames are glowing in happiness, despite how miserable her condition is. Yet, the mother's eyes are dark. They're the same colors as her daughter's, but her eyes are darker, because there are no flames living there. They died. Her eyes are empty, as empty as her feeling.

She never loved her daughter, because whenever she looked at that fragile little girl, she remembered of how that girl existed from the beginning. El was born—the child, and Lafrenze's the one who gave birth to her—the mother. Yet, who is the father? _Who is the father?_ That question is killing her. Who is the father? The answer's pretty obvious. It was the one that is not there with them. And that is always the thing that she thought whenever she looked at her only daugther.

Yet, El always loved her mother. Those flames in her eyes keep on living because of her mother. She said once,

"No matter what happens, as long as mother's with me, I'll be happy!" or so the innocent girl who doesn't know anything says. But at least, if that makes her happy, it's fine. Lafrenze never really loved her, yet she doesn't want a tear coming out of El's eyes. She wanted those flames to keep on living, to light the dim-lit, isolated room they were living in.

"Mother!" The little girl finally broke the silence. She ran towards her mother, while bringing a drawing book by her two bony hands. She smiled widely.

"What is it, El?" Lafrenze asked with all her might, trying to sound as gentle as she could.

"Look! Look!" El cheerfully pointed on the drawing on her drawing book. Certainly, it's her own drawing that she wanted to show to her mother. That was a drawing of a woman with red hood, both of them have silver hair, smiling as if there's no sadness surrounding, standing at a place full of beautiful things such as happiness. "It's me and mother living together happily in paradise!"

Those are enough to make Lafrenze stunned. Paradise. She remembered. That was the place where the dead souls cannot return to. That was the place that lies far from where she used to stand, in front of the gates that imprison those dead souls, protecting the gates so they wouldn't open... but now the gates' are opened, so she no longer stands there. Paradise. What paradise's like? Even she doesn't know. And now, hearing the word coming from her child's mouth, it made her think: _Why those dead souls are so desperate on getting to paradise? Is that a place full of beautiful things...? If so, I want to..._

"Mother?" The girl asked curiously seeing her mother didn't give any reaction after she showed that drawing of hers. Lafrenze blinked, then she turned on her daughter. She smiled.

"... is this what paradise looks like, El?" she asked, while hiding her curiosity behind it.

"I don't know, mom. I've never been there... But I'm sure it's a very nice place! I really want to know what's in there!"

"Hmm... if we could go there together... do you want to?"

"Of course! I would really be happy if we can go there together!"

The mother gave her daughter a smile. They hugged each other, feeling the warmth that is soon going to become cold.

The next day, as usual, in order to keep both of them living, the mother went out to look for anything that could be eaten. El remained at home, drawing everything she wanted to gain, every place she wanted to go. Paradise. Lafrenze stood still and looked up to the blue sky, a little light that passes through the tall trees. That is the only place where light can reach the ground. Lafrenze wondered, if that warm light coming from above was a bit of paradise, how beautiful the real paradise is?

It was almost El's 8th birthday, so she would wish to stay alive to at least give present to her daughter. She really wanted to make her happy. She wanted to make at least one of El's dreams come true, because that is also one of her dreams. One of her happiness. Or if she could say, her last dream.

Lafrenze coughed. She knew she's nearing her end. Even so, she gathered food as much as she could, and then she went home. By the time she was home, El happily welcomed her, and showing more drawings of her that she claimed was paradise. Lafrenze only smiled, and secretly writing on El's portrait: "On the 8th birthday of my beloved daughter, Elys...". At once, everything feel so warm. But Lafrenze felt cold. Really cold. Only when the time she smiled, she still feel alive. Right. She was nearing her end...

The next day, even though Lafrenze has gotten really weak, she still tried her best to gather more foods for her daughter. Even if she's losing her breath... Even if she can't walk anymore... Even if she stopped moving... Still, she wanted her daughter to live. She is the reason she could stay alive until now, and also the proof of her existense.

However, even if Lafrenze has gathered foods, they don't reach El.

Lafrenze fell. That's it. That's her end. She was still trying her best to at least go back to her small hut to give those foods to El. Yet, she didn't move. She'll never move again. She looked up, and she could see the sky.

The light. The warm light at the very end.

"On the 8th birthday of my beloved daughter, Elys..."

She smiled, now she's going to see more of paradise. Then, the light, bit by bit, fading from her eyes. Until, finally those little flames died. She was there, lying there. Not moving. Dead.

El still draws anything she could think of paradise. Blooming flowers. Singing birds. Happiness. She sang happily while drawing those, waiting for her mother to come home and bring foods and cease the pain she's feeling when waiting in the small hut all alone. Sadly, her mother whom she waited for to come home, will never come home again.

She then gets tired. She took a rest. Not wondering why her mother was never home. Because she believed her mother to come home. She believed that. Sadly, that was just a hopeless dream of her. Just like those dreams about reaching the paradise together with her mother.

The girl slept. Even in a cold weather, in a freezing atmosphere, the girl slept. Waiting for the unreturning mother.

A man walked through a deep dark forest, searching for his ideal. Even if the dark forest was empty, he wouldn't give up. He would look through the whole forest to find his ideal. He walked and walked more, until he found a small, rickety shack. It doesn't look like anyone's living there. But he went inside anyway.

The shack was very dark. He could only see things near the opened door, the only light source in the room. He looked around, and saw a beautiful girl's portrait, with white skin and silver hair. On the portrait sign says: "On the 8th birthday of my beloved daughter, Elys...". He, then, fell in love with the girl.

She was his ideal.

"... Mother?" A shaky voice of a little girl came out of nowhere, surprised the man who was still charmed by the beauty of the girl in the portrait. He looked to the source of the voice, but he saw nothing because it was really dark in there.

But then, little by little, the girl's form became clearlier as she stepped closer and closer to the man.

"Mother? Is that you?" she stopped walking when she saw that the one going home wasn't her mother.

"You are... my Elys..." the man spoke, without caring of what the girl said.

"You are not my mother."

"When is your birthday?"

"Why do you ask?" the girl asked with curiosity, wondering of what the man is doing there.

"I'm going to give you a present.." The man spoke, with a little smile that is not even visible in the dark room.

"Really?" Then El, without feeling cautious at all, smiled happily. She was going to get a birthday present! She was really happy until her right mind cannot make her remember who she was waiting before. "Are you my father?"

"..." The man stayed silent, but then he decided to answer. "Yes."

"I love you, Papa!"

Even if both of them were smiling happily, there is no warmth there. Because there was only one thing that could give warmth to El, and that is her mother. And the man, without knowing anything about the girl, and without thinking whether she was able to give the girl a present, he made a promise. He was going to give her a present. And that promise was the one that was turning everything into hell, making both of them getting farther and farther from paradise.


End file.
